No Competition
by songsofthestars
Summary: James finally opens Starr's eyes to how she deserves to be treated, and makes it perfectly clear who the right guy for her is.


Thank you SO much to everybody who reviewed my first two Jarr fics, I so appreciate it- your reviews are my crack!

Wrote this one a while ago, and just didn't get around to posting till now, so there are some deviations from the show. Takes place when Starr/James and Hannah/Cole are both still on the run. Hannah has still somehow managed to evade arrest and Cole finding out, and Cole doesn't know anything about what's going on with Starr, he still thinks she just ran off with James, because meanwhile, Starr got in touch with her parents and a plan was worked out where James and Starr are supposed to stay in hiding, act like nothing has changed, and contact Bull to give him the $50,000, so the cops can bust him at the meeting. Annnd go!

**No Competition**

"James, I swear, it's a really good show, you just have to give it a chance," Starr insisted, reaching across him on the couch in an attempt to steal the remote back. They had about an hour to kill before they needed to meet up with the cops, and he was completely wasting it on crappy shows.

"I'm not interested in watching you drool over Jensen Ackles for an hour, thanks," James replied easily, smirking, as he held it tight.

"Oh, I see- is somebody jealous?" she teased playfully, trying to throw him off guard. James just threw her a look, then simply held the remote high over his head.

"Come and get it, Twinkle."

"Oh, big mistake, buddy," Starr laughed simply, lunging.

The duo tousled around for a minute until one of Starr's attempts to wrestle it away knocked James off balance and he fell forward, pinning her beneath him on the couch as he landed on top of her, both laughing brightly as James made no move to hurry off of her, just gazing down at her warmly instead, hesitantly bringing a hand up and gently stroking her cheek.

"_I knew it!"_ A furious voice suddenly exploded as a door slammed, destroying the moment and promptly scaring the crap out of both of them, Starr and James silently cursing themselves as they realized they'd been too distracted to even hear the door open.

James instantly scrambled to his feet, planting himself in front of Starr protectively, but Starr cautiously peered around him, thinking she recognized the voice, and gasped in shock when she saw who it belonged to.

"Cole?"

"This is Cole?" James asked her, eyebrows shooting up with an interest as he relaxed, calmly sizing the other boy up now. Cole stormed further into the room towards them, and James finally noticed the brunette girl following nervously behind him.

"Hannah?" Starr gasped softly in disbelief as she stood as well. James noticed (with a hint of smugness he wasn't proud of) that instead of racing into Cole's arms, she hesitantly remained at his side.

Hannah looked away uncomfortably at the mention of her name, while Cole said nothing to defend her presence, like it should just be accepted, like she belonged there. Starr looked greatly pained, and James furrowed his brow; what the hell was Cole _doing?_ Dragging the girl who had clearly been screwing with him and Starr along to come see her? And speaking of…

"Cole, what are you doing here?" Starr cried, giving voice to what James was thinking. "How did you find us, how did-"

"You at least had the courtesy to tell your best friend where you were, even if you didn't tell your _boyfriend_, so I just made Langston tell me," he snapped. James frowned even deeper; instead of some big loving reunion, Cole had some storming in with another girl and started yelling at Starr, all while barely looking at her, choosing to glare at James like he wanted him dead instead- what the hell was this?

"Cole, I'm sorry," Starr began, catching James off guard; her tone was weak and unsure, and it was nothing he'd heard from Starr up until now. "I just-"

"Don't _even_ Starr, don't insult me or us by starting with that crap. You think some false apologies are going to fix this?"

James clenched his jaw, heckles raised by the way the other boy was talking to Starr. He'd hardly expected anyone Starr knew to be _happy_ about her taking off with him and helping him, but this seemed extreme.

"Cole, look, don't get upset with Starr, this was all my fault."

"I would love to believe that, and trust me, I'll deal with you soon enough," Cole practically growled. James immediately had to hold back a laugh- had he really just attempted to threaten him? Frankly, James would love to see him try. "But it takes two to tango, so don't try to play hero- it's hardly necessary to impress her at this point, don't you think?" he asked coldly, turning hard eyes to his girlfriend. "This is _your_ fault, Starr, and you damn well know it. You're the one abandoned your daughter to go sleep with some guy you barely know!"

_"What?"_ Starr all but whimpered, her voice teary and pained, and triggering something in James.

"Excuse me?" James snarled protectively, curling his fists so tightly when he saw tears burning Starr's eyes that his nails nearly broke the skin. This _asshole_ was her precious Cole? Wow, what a keeper. "What the _hell_ did you just say to her?"

"James, calm down, it's fine," Starr muttered uncomfortably.

"It's fine?" James demanded, staring at her in disbelief as she seemed to physically withdraw into herself. What _was_ this? Where was the feisty, vibrant girl he'd know for the past few weeks? Why was she letting him hurt her and just taking it?

"We were in a really compromising position, okay? It's understandable," she hissed to him, before turning her attention to Cole. "Cole, _please,_" she pleaded desperately. "I understand how that looked, I get why you'd freak out. But Cole, you _know_ me- I didn't, I would never."

"You did, actually, and I'm not even talking about just _tonight!_" he roared, looking desperately like he wanted to throw something. Starr flinched for a second, and James saw red, rage steadily building in his veins- he knew that flinch, he'd reacted that way himself thousands of time. If that reaction was because Cole had _ever_ hit Starr, even _once_, some small, dark part of himself that James didn't ever like to acknowledge knew Cole would be leaving this cabin in a body cast by the time James was done with him.

"Cole! What are you talking about? I didn't-"

"I saw the bed, Starr! I saw the condom wrappers!" Cole exploded. "Quit lying to me!"

"I'm _not!_ Cole, please believe me," she begged. "We just talked about this- we have to believe in each other and fight for each other, why would you give up so easily because of some kind of misunderstanding?"

"How is this a misunderstanding? Starr, I did believe in you, I wanted nothing more than for us to fight for each other! When Hannah told me about you running off with this guy, I _didn't_ think she could possibly be telling the truth." Starr gasped in shock, looking back and forth between Hannah and Cole, with wide eyes filled with hurt and betrayal, and James looked to Hannah in disbelief.

"You told him what?" he asked sharply.

"I came up with so many excuses for you!" Cole continued screaming, ignoring their reactions. "But then I saw it with my own eyes, there was no misunderstanding! I found your diploma with the condom wrapper, so don't try to pretend you weren't there, like that wasn't your mess! Even then, I told myself no matter how bad it looks, don't jump to conclusions, talk to her, but I come here to do that, and I walk in on the two of you about to make out, so give it up and be honest already!"

"You did this," Starr hissed to Hannah, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You haven't ruined my life enough already? What is _wrong_ with you, Hannah? What have I ever done to you? Why would you try to-"

"Hey!" Cole shouted defensively, glaring at Starr like _she_ was his enemy here, not the other girl- Starr felt positively gutted. "Don't do that, don't try to pin this on Hannah to make yourself look good! Hannah didn't make you take off with this guy, she didn't make abandon your family so you could have fun and get laid every night, Hannah didn't make you act like a slut-"

Starr let out a choked sob, and in that split second, the control James had been barely hanging onto throughout this conversation snapped and he lunged at Cole, punching him hard in the face. Hannah, who had been silent and trying to remain unnoticed until now, suddenly shrieked, dissolving into hysterics within seconds, but Starr remained silent, just watching the chaos in a mess of tears.

"Stop it, get away from him!" Hannah wailed. Cole stumbled back, blinking wearily and trying to shake the blow off, now clenching his own fist to retaliate. James internally gave an exasperated sigh and punched him again, satisfied with the crunch of bone he heard this time, the way that sound erased the one of Starr's first sob escaping her a moment ago, and violently flung him to the ground like a rag-doll.

Cole coughed and wheezed in pain on the ground, blood already dripping from his nose; he started to move, and James slammed his foot down on his chest to stop him, probably a hell of a lot harder that strictly necessary- unsurprisingly, James didn't give a damn right now.

"It was nothing like that," James hissed down at Cole, who just chuckled darkly.

"Yeah, I'd _expect_ you to defend your new girlfriend, but-"

"You're going to shut up and listen now, asshole. It wasn't like that…but it could have been, you know," he informed him with a smirk. "It _so easily_ could have been. If she had wanted me even _once_, I _never_ would have said no to her. She could have gotten back at you for all the shit you've pulled, or hell, even just had a get out of jail free card to see how good it can really be with someone else, someone who actually knows what he's doing. But you know what? The thought never even crossed her _mind_. I don't know what your girl on the side here told you, but Starr didn't run off with me to get laid, as you so kindly put it- I'm in life-threatening trouble, and Starr took off with me to help me out and save my life. You know what she's been talking about this entire time? You and your baby, how much she loves you both and wants to get back to you," James informed him, seeing Cole grow pale and start to squirm, eyes flickering with doubt. "Because for some reason that I haven't been able to understand since the day I met her, when the first I heard about you was that you were in jail and didn't want to see her, you're all she wants. And you don't deserve that, not one bit," he told him gravely.

"I can see you're going to be a stubborn asshole about this, so let me tell you, now that I know what a complete douchebag you are, I would _love_ to rub it in your face that Starr moved on and slept with me- I sure as hell wouldn't be lying to spare your feelings," he snarled, lifting his foot up and storming by Cole's fallen body to the door, flinging it open with a loud crash. "So, now that you know the truth, get out."

"I don't answer to you," Cole hissed, retaining a fair amount of bravado for someone with a bloody nose and an eye that was quickly going to be too swollen to see out of it, someone who had just been verbally ripped a new one immediately after physically getting his ass kicked, someone who had just been told that he may have destroyed things with his girlfriend forever over a lie. James just shook his head in disgust. "Starr-" Cole began weakly, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

Starr's tears had dried up, and she was now just standing there silently, eyes on the floor and arms wrapped around herself so tightly that it was like she was afraid of falling apart without the support. She didn't just look sad or regretful, or even angry, as James wished she would; she just looked…destroyed, a fact that infuriated him all over again. She shouldn't let him do this to her; she shouldn't let this tool affect her like that.

"Please leave, Cole," Starr said in barely a whisper, her voice dead.

"Starr," he protested, weakly pulling himself to his feet, groaning in pain. "Please, I didn't-"

"Cole, get the fuck out or I will throw you out myself," James snapped impatiently, the fact that Cole thought he had any right to even _look_ at Starr after what he'd done, let alone talk to her, making James want to wring his neck.

After a lingering gaze at Starr, who did not protest James' words or try to meet Cole's eyes, he reluctantly turned and limped out. On the way, he attempted to stare down James, who actually did laugh this time- hard to be an intimidated by a guy you had just beaten the crap out of.

Hannah was quick to follow after him, and as she came closer, James saw what was unmistakably a smirk appear on her face for the most fleeting of seconds, before it was replaced by a look of pity and sorrow.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," he told her quietly, voice steely. To the psycho's credit, under the weight of a gaze that would have made most people shrink back, she just widened her eyes in the perfect expression of innocence.

"What are you talking about?" she asked breathlessly, tilting her head in confusion. "I didn't want this, James, I hoped to _God_ that I was wrong about you two so I wouldn't have to hurt Cole like that. If you don't like this situation, maybe you shouldn't have stolen Starr from him. I hope you're happy- you just tore apart a family and ruined two people's lives," she informed him sadly, shaking her head like this was the greatest tragedy she had ever known as she walked out.

James just laughed darkly as he slammed the door behind her, wondering how Starr had refrained from killing the girl already if this was a regular occurrence, and wondering how Cole was so fucking _stupid_ that he repeatedly fell for it.

"Starr…" James said softly, voice gentle and sympathetic as he cautiously walked back to her.

"We should go," Starr replied tightly, dropping her arms and straightening up, holding her head and shoulders high. James understand what she was doing, putting on a mask in order to keep going, better than probably anyone else could, and just nodded in understanding.

"Okay. But, Starr, if you want to talk-"

"The cops will need to wire us up before Bull gets there, so we should leave," she cut him off, effectively answering his question- no, she didn't want to talk.

"Alright; just know the offer's out there."

Several hours later, Starr and James were both sitting in the Llanview police station; knowing the job was finally done. Bull had been arrested, quickly spilled on James's dad, allowing the cops in Dayton to spring into action as well, and they'd both given statements and been interviewed, finally clearing them to leave- Starr was currently wandering around, trying to find James, so she could talk to him about exactly that.

She finally located him sitting alone at John's desk, a stunned, happy expression still on his face, and Starr understood why; for the first time in quite possibly his entire life, he didn't have to spend every day watching his back. His dad and Bull were behind bars, neither of them could hurt him or anyone he loved ever again- his life was actually _his_ again.

"Hey," Starr said warmly, easing herself into the chair next to him. He gazed at her with a brilliant grin, and Starr found that she couldn't _not_ return it. "Figured you'd be feeling something close to that," she remarked with a laugh. "It's finally over. You're free. What do you want to do first now that you're not a wanted man?"

"At the moment? Sleep sounds kind of good," he chuckled. "But I should probably get to the hospital, gonna crash in Bobby's room tonight I guess."

"Actually, that's what I came to speak to you about. I talked to my mom, and she agreed- we want you to stay with us until Ford is out of the hospital." James looked up sharply, surprise clear in his eyes, as well as a hesitant sort of pleased look; that was something Starr had picked up about James that always made her heart hurt- he always seemed so scared and cautious of getting excited or happy about being anything.

"Really?" he asked slowly.

"No," she said, playfully rolling her eyes. "I'm just a horrible person and playing the meanest practical joke ever- _yes,_ really."

"I'm sorry, it's just…_why_?"

"James, not only do my mom and I both feel really grateful for everything you did to protect me…you and I are friends now," she told him firmly. "Kind of hard to go through something like this and not wind up that way- and friends don't let friends live in a hospital room, sleeping on a cot. After everything we've been through together, I'm not just gonna throwyou to the wolves and be done with you."

"Thank you, Starr," James said warmly. She just smiled, waving off the apology. "Hey, wait a second, I just thought of something- you said stay with _us-_ but you have your own apartment."

"I do," she snorted. "An apartment I share with Cole, and thus don't plan on returning to anytime soon, so you and I will be neighbors at La Boule," she said with mock giddiness, pumping her fists before laughing at herself. James chuckled, gazing at her quietly for a second before speaking.

"Hey, uh, Starr, speaking of…you sure you don't want to-"

"Talk? I'm sure. I just…can't. Not yet," she sighed, shoulders sagging and eyes dimming. James hated that- his own selfish reasons aside, Starr shouldn't be with someone who ever made her look like that, not when she deserved so much better.

"Okay," he said simply, respecting her wishes and quickly changing the subject. "So…wasn't I supposed to be vacating your life for good now? Thought you didn't want to see me after all this was done, Twinkle" he teased gently, lightly bumping her shoulder with his own. She playfully rolled her eyes, doing the same back to him.

"So I lied, big deal. And the Twinkle thing is really gonna stick, huh?"

"Does it bother you?" he asked sincerely.

"No, actually… which is kind of unbelievable."

"Uh…why? I know it's kind of obnoxious, but…" At his questioning look, Starr impulsively decided he may as well know the whole story.

"Last year, there was this guy, old frenemy of my dad's, who wanted revenge on him," she began slowly, taking a deep breath. "Through a wonderful series of accidents, he found me first. He attacked me, duct taped and held me hostage in a bedroom in my dad's house, made a bunch of creepy threats, and the whole time, he called me Twinkle," Starr sighed, shrugging. "I can see you're about to freak out and apologize, but don't. After that, I always hated it when people called me that, but I don't know, when you say it…sounds kind of right. Saves that nickname for me." James struggled, trying to force himself to smile at her because he _did_ like hearing that, but Starr could obviously see how strained it was. "What?"

"I hate knowing that ever happened to you," he told her quietly, his voice rough. Starr smiled slightly, touched he cared about something that had occurred over a year before he'd even met her.

"Yeah, well, I hate that it happened to me too, join the club," she replied lightly, trying to joke around to ease the tension. James didn't seem amused.

"I promise to do whatever I can to make sure nothing like that ever happens again," he promised her intently. Starr found herself locked in his stare, unable to stand the thought of breaking it or being the one to look away, and finally just gave a slow nod.

"I'm sure you will," she replied softly, feeling a strange sort of faith in him that she didn't place in many people. James shrugged, looking away guiltily.

"Way I see it, I owe you. You've obviously been through more than enough, then I come along and make you suffer even more."

"God, James, no, don't say that. You can't help that your dad and Bull are psycho, okay?"

"It's not even just that, Starr. I mean, what happened tonight…the whole 'compromising position' thing is on me," he muttered. He wasn't exactly on the Starr and Cole bandwagon, but he didn't want some imagined affair between him and Starr to be the _reason_ things ended either.

Starr inhaled sharply, abruptly looking away.

"_That_…is even less your fault. I don't care what he walked in on, Cole should have known, he should have just known, and that's all I really have to say about it."

"Starr, James," Blair called as she walked up, before James could respond, waving them both over. "Come on, John said you're okay to leave."

"Oh, good," Starr said brightly, standing up and offering her hand to James to pull him up. "Ready to go home?" Starr didn't miss the way something in James' eyes lit up at the word 'home', and she _couldn't_ miss the way her heart jumped in response, doing it again when he took her hand in his.

"Ready."

Back at La Boule, despite everyone's attempts to talk to her, Starr just immediately retreated to Hope's nursery and holed up alone with her daughter until Hope, happy as she was to see her mommy, finally couldn't take it anymore and fell back asleep. At that point, Starr wandered outside to the pool and collapsed in one of the pool chairs, shooing away Blair and Langston when they tried to speak with her, choosing to stew alone instead, quietly watching the moonlight play off the surface of the water.

"I hate it when Starr gets this way, when I don't know how to help her," Langston sighed sadly, staring through the patio door at her friend.

"I know, sweetie, I'm worried too," Blair sighed. "She was fine the last time we saw you two, James- did something happen?"

"Cole showed up," James told them reluctantly. "It…didn't end well."

"Is that why your fist was hurt?" Langston asked pointedly, cocking an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. But I think that's her business to tell you about. Hey, um…do you mind if I try with her?" he asked hesitantly, cautious about pressing his luck when he still couldn't believe Blair wanted him anywhere near her home, her daughter.

"Sure," Blair answered, shrugging helplessly. "I hope you have better luck."

The women left to retire to bed, and James stepped outside, quietly shutting the door behind him. Starr's eyes lifelessly flickered up to see who it was, then returned to her pool gazing without a word.

James decided to follow her lead instead of pushing, and just flopped down on the chair next to her, leaning back and stargazing wordlessly; Starr would make the first move when she was ready.

Finally, after ten minutes of silence passed between them, Starr turned to look at him, eyes directed at his hand, hanging over the side of the lounger.

"How's your fist?" she asked, voice unreadable.

"Oh, ah, good," he said in surprise, not having been expecting that to be the first thing she said. James cautiously flexed and curled his fingers; they were swollen and bruised but moveable, no biggie. "Your mom gave me a bag of frozen peas, it's like a magic cure for this kind of thing." James wondered how far he could press his luck right now, then decided to throw caution to the wind, swinging his legs over the side of the chair so he was facing her. "I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to say sorry, but, I'm not a liar, Starr, and I'm not sorry," he informed her unapologetically. "I'm definitely not proud that I hurt somebody, but he was being an asshole to you, and he made you cry, so I'm not sorry," James repeated, hoping she wasn't going to fall silent again.

"Works out pretty well, seeing as how I don't want you to apologize," Starr laughed darkly. "Notice that I didn't try to stop you like his precious Hannah did? James, that guy today, who went off on me like it was nothing, who accused me of being so awful, who looked me right in the eyes and called me a slut? I don't even know who that was," she choked out, the cold melting from her tone as her voice became wavery, the true amount of pain she was feeling, that she had been holding back for hours, now obvious. "You know, my dad walked in on him and Hannah, alone in our apartment, with Hannah in just her bra, and I never really doubted him or believed he could ever do that to our family, even though he and Hannah were already all buddy buddy then. But all it takes is Hannah giving him her word and planting some empty condom wrappers and I'm suddenly a worthless whore to him. I just…I don't understand how he could do this to me," Starr sobbed as the floodgates broke.

James hesitated as he edged in closer, not sure if it was okay to touch her, but Starr made his mind up for him, leaning forwards and burying her head against his shoulder as she wept. James gently wrapped his arms around her body, holding her close, and Starr dug her fingers into the back of his shirt, holding on for dear life.

"God, I'm even more sorry now for chewing you out that first day in the cabin. I think I've known since that day that Cole and I were dying, and I was just so desperate to fight it. I don't know who he is, but even worse, I don't know who I am when I'm with him- there was a time when I never would have let anyone talk to me like that, but especially not my boyfriend, and tonight, I just…I stood there and took it," she said, her voice mystified. "I was just so accepting of him hurting me, and I don't understand when I got to this point- if you hadn't been there, I probably would have somehow wound up apologizing to _him_," she said, voice dripping with disgust. James tensed, not liking the sound of that, the implications of it.

"Starr…" James began, taking a deep breath as he pulled away and gently held her by the shoulders. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything," she sniffed, rubbing the remaining wetness from her eyes.

"Has Cole ever hit you?" he asked bluntly, looking her directly in the eyes. Starr's jaw practically hit the floor, her eyes bulging as she reared back from him in shock.

"What? No! Never, not even once!" she yelled defensively. "Oh my God. How could you even ask me that? _Why_ would you ask me that?" she added, furrowing her brow. James sighed.

"When he started yelling, you flinched, and it just, I don't know, reminded me of… something, I guess," he mumbled uncomfortably. Starr softened, instantly understanding what that meant, where he was coming from, and took a deep breath to calm down, trying to be rational about this.

"He's never hit me, I promise, that flinch was just because…he just has a temper," she sighed. "He snaps sometimes, and goes off, which I hate, or sometimes he throws things, hits walls, y'know," she mumbled, shrugging uncomfortably. "I guess that freaks me out a little bit in the moment. And I guess…I don't know, there was one time when we were fifteen, he was on the football team back then, and got hooked on steroids, and he took too much one night and kind of snapped, and he freaked and almost…oh my God," Starr moaned miserably as she ran over everything she, burying her head in her hands. "I can't believe this, I can't believe this happened to me and Cole. I can't believe he's acting in a way that made someone think he _beats me_, for God's sake, I can't believe that everything I say to defend him makes it sound worse. What happened to us?" she wondered, her tone shattered and eyes watery all over again.

"This is available as long as you need it," James offered softly, smiling warmly as he jutted his shoulder out at her. Starr managed a small laugh through her tears.

"Thank you, James. And not just for right now, but for back at the cabin, for defending me. Thank you for making me remember that I _didn't_ deserve that and shouldn't have to accept it from my own boyfriend and for sticking up for me-"

"You shouldn't feel like you have to thank me for doing something that's just right," he cut her off in frustration. "If the way Cole treats you makes you think what I did was something special, then honestly, sorry if you don't want to hear this, but I wish I had kicked his ass a little more."

"I don't know if that's on him or my own issue," Starr admitted quietly, a far off look in her eyes. "Something I need to work on, I guess. And hey, with the interruptions," she said pointedly, glaring, which only made him chuckle. "To finish…thank you for lying, saying all that stuff about how I could have had you, so maybe he'll open his eyes a little." James contemplated for a second telling her that what he'd said- Starr could have had him at the snap of her fingers- was true, but immediately decided otherwise, knowing she wasn't ready to deal with that statement yet. She had way too much on her plate already, he wasn't going to overburden her. "But I gotta say," she continued playfully, shooting him a grin. "That whole, see how good it is with someone who knows what he's doing thing was kind of overkill-I mean, cocky much?"

"Not cocky if it's true," he played along, over the top leering at her. "Wanna find out?"

"Oh, _shut up!"_ Starr shouted, laughing brightly as she smacked him on the shoulder. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Somebody sounds like she's protesting too much," he sang, winking.

"Go to bed, James," she ordered, giggling. He cocked his head at that statement, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, and Starr quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Okay, I walked right into that one- whatever you're thinking, don't say it," she ordered, cracking up.

James just laughed when she let go, standing up to do as she said; Starr's smile slowly faded as she watched him leave, and right before he stepped into the house, she called after him, needing to know something.

"Hey, James; when you move in with your brother, you're not just going to disappear, right?" she questioned, a hint of anxiety in her tone. "Because regardless of anything I said on our trip, I don't want that. I know our little adventure is over, but I mean…that doesn't mean you and me have to be."

"I'm not going anywhere," James vowed with no hesitation, getting rewarded for his right answer by Starr beaming at him.

As James walked up the stairs, James reflected on his answer, on how strongly he had meant, on what a new decision that was. Before, James' plan really _had_ been to stay away from Starr when this all was done like he'd promised, let her go back to the life she'd had before he came along, and that would be that. But then that phone call happened the first night, and James began to have his doubts, and now, now that he'd actually met Cole?

_Fuck that._

Maybe his life was crazy, maybe Starr deserved more than a high school drop out chop shop criminal, but at least he wouldn't treat her like shit the way Cole clearly did- at least he would respect her, trust her, treat her like she deserved. Cole Thornhart had better be ready for some competition.

The next week passed by peacefully and happily- both things a rarity for the two teens. James had no intentions of pushing or rushing Starr into anything- she and Cole had just broken up, and she was dealing with a lot right now; his feelings, at least for the moment, would just be an unnecessary complication for her.

Instead, he'd just made it his mission to permanently erase the heartbroken look Cole had planted on her face and make her smile as much as possible instead, and much to his pleasure, the mission had been a definite success. James couldn't be happier, even if he _had_ had to go to a few extreme measures to make it happen.

Extreme measures like somehow letting Langston talk him into karaoke, he recalled with a wince. The girl had just seemed so _miserable_ as she'd sat there with slumped shoulders, telling him she wouldn't ask, but Markko always used to do it with her, and she needed a guy for the other part, and giving him those sad eyes. Between that and how James knew his own brother was half the reason hey boyfriend wasn't around anymore to sing with her, he found himself unable to say no. The sight of Starr practically sobbing with laughter over her best friend and newest friend butchering Robert Palmer, shaking so forcefully that she'd fallen out of her chair, had been totally worth it, though.

James was still chuckling over the memory as he walked into La Boule late that night, back from fixing Bobby's car for him while he was still in the hospital- apparently, one of his conquests had decided to take advantage of him being laid up to get revenge by smashing the hell out of it. He'd been able to get it running as good as new, though, which filled James with satisfaction- felt good to actually do something legal and helpful with his skills for once.

He was halfway up the stairs when one of the bedroom doors banged open and Langston suddenly came flying out, rushing to meet him halfway and start marching him right back down.

"Uh, hi to you too, Langston," he said in confusion as she dragged him around- damn, she was strong for a tiny little thing.

"James, I need you to listen here, okay?" Langston began rambling urgently. "Cole has been my second closest friend for forever, basically, and I love him, but he has changed lately, everyone can see that. He's acting like a jerk, and he's been making Starr miserable, and I know he chewed her out and called her a slut, which is not okay with me _ever_, so I am officially off the Starr and Cole train, and I've only known you for a week, but Starr sure likes gushing about you, and I know you went out of your way to protect her, and you beat up Cole for upsetting her, and you freaking sang Bad Case of Loving You with me just to make her laugh, which makes you a-okay in my book, so get your ass into the living room and do something," she snapped, abruptly shoving him at the doors without another word.

James was still not clear on just what the hell was going on here, but based on the glare Langston was throwing him, he decided it was best not to question her. He carefully pushed the doors open, walking in quietly, and instantly got what this had been about- at the back of the room was Cole, pacing back and forth in front of Starr, babbling on with a bunch of bullshit apologies. James bit his tongue to keep from raging at Cole already, choosing to approach quietly instead.

"So you get it now, Starr, right?" Cole asked hopefully. "I am so sorry about everything that happened, but it wasn't my fault. Hannah completely manipulated the situation, there was nothing I could do. But she's in jail now, so things can be good again, we can get back to how we used to be."

"What? Cole, I don't…it's not that simple. I mean, the things you said to me-"

"Were only because of what Hannah made me believe! Nothing like that is ever gonna happen again, Starr. If you just forgive me, things'll be like they're supposed to again, I promise." Okay, really? That was all he could take.

"Twinkle, please tell me you respect yourself enough to not be buying this bullshit."

Both Starr and Cole's heads whipped around to look at him; Starr's features spread into a smile, while Cole shot him a glare and looked ready to lunge.

"Stay out of this. Twinkle, really? Who the hell do you think you are to try to get all cutesy with her? Who are you to think you even get an opinion here? You're some loser criminal who put her life in danger! Starr and I are everything to each other, she loves me, okay?"

And with exactly one rant from Cole, all of James' plans went down the drain. Waiting, giving Starr time to come to him first, trying to stay out of the Cole situation? Screw it.

Having no patience for this crap, and not wanting to get into some kind of back and forth with Thornhart, James decided to act rather than talk, and immediately closed the distance between himself and Starr, grabbing her and gently but firmly pressing Starr against the wall as he swooped down and covered her lips with his.

Cole flipped out within two seconds, about to rip James off of Starr when he saw her suddenly place a hand on either side of his face and pull James even closer to her, returning his kiss with a passion.

Well. That told him everything, didn't it?

Scowling furiously, Cole spun around and stormed out, punching a wall on the way for good measure, so angry that he didn't even notice Langston in the hall, breezing right past by her. Langston watched him go with a startled expression.

"Geez; James works fast," she muttered under her breath as Cole slammed the front door so hard that the wall shook.

Langston curiously made her way into the living room, smiling and chattering on, something about James taking direction well; whatever it was, it really didn't matter, because all thoughts flew from Langston's head as she froze and gasped at the sight of James and Starr pressed against the wall, _sucking each other's faces._

"Oh my God! Okay, _not_ what I meant when I said do something."

And the kicker was, the duo were so caught up in each other, they didn't even freaking hear her. They were wrapped up in the kiss so completely that it was as if they were _consumed_ by it; the way they were so attentive to each other in the moment, lips meeting over and over again as Starr's fingers lazily scraped through his hair and James' thumbs made soothing circles against her hipbones, would be kind of sweet in a way, if she weren't already kind of grossed out, and- oh, God, ew, she did not need to hear her best friend moan like that, ever. Langston was seriously tempted to clamp her hands over her eyes and run away, but she was also thinking they needed to talk about this, so she uncomfortably looked away and attempted to interrupt.

"Guys? Guys, hate to interrupt, but…hello? _Starr Manning and James Ford!"_ she exploded in a huff.

Thankfully, that finally did it and they abruptly broke their kiss, though James kept a tight hold on Starr and she made no move to get away. Before he could even give a thought to Langston's presence, James swept Starr's face first, looking for any sign of doubt or regret and found none; she just smiled at him in pure contentment, and James returned it, and Langston couldn't help but grin- aw, okay, that was pretty cute. She had a good feeling about James and his position in Starr's life.

"Um, sorry, Lang," Starr laughed, looking to her friend with a blush. "What were you saying?"

"Uh…just that this is an interesting turn of events," she giggled. "But I kind of feel like I missed about ten steps somewhere here- wanna fill me in?"

"Tomorrow, Langston, I promise. I'm, just, um, kind of tired after everything that happened today," she announced, dramatically stretching and yawning, eyes flickering not so subtly to James. Langston presses her lips together tightly, trying not to laugh even though that was the fakest damn yawn she'd ever seen. "I think I need to check out for the night, sooo…I'm just gonna head upstairs and get changed for bed." Starr looked back to James, recalling a certain moment that occurred in the cabin, and, blushing slightly, dared to lean up on her toes and whisper in his ear, "This time, the door might not be locked."

James grinned at her mischievously, eyes lingering on her as she reluctantly left his embrace to exit the room, and Starr felt herself grow flush, unable to hold back her own giddy expression.

James forced small talk for a minute after she left, then made a great show of checking his watch and feigning surprise at the time, causing Langston to just shake her head and laugh.

"Wow, I'm sorry, Langston, but I didn't realize how late it is . I think I'm just gonna…" he nodded upstairs to finish, already hurrying from the room, and Langston cracked up.

"Yeah, I bet. You crazy kids have fun!" she called after him, dissolving in giggles the moment he was gone.

All joking aside, Langston _really_ hoped things worked out between Starr and James; if there had been any doubt left after this past week, this night had made it perfectly clear who the right guy for Starr was.


End file.
